The speech arrived at a surreal moment, 10 days away from his final day in the White House

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President Barack Obama waves on stage with first lady Michelle Obama, daughter Malia, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden after his farewell address at McCormick Place in Chicago, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017.

In an expansive and emotional farewell address in Chicago on Tuesday, President Barack Obama revisited the achievements and challenges of his eight years in office, outlined what he sees as the greatest threats to our democracy and paid tribute to both his supporters and colleagues, while urging them to keep fighting for what they believe in, NBC News reported.

The speech arrived at a surreal moment. Ten days away from his final day in the White House, Obama is enjoying his highest approval ratings in over six years (according to a new Quinnipiac poll) while his polarizing successor, President-elect Donald Trump, has been besieged with unflattering headlines and ever more discouraging poll numbers.

Amid all the speculation and apprehension, Obama gave one of the most memorable final major addresses from a president in recent history. NBC News gathered eight of the biggest takeaways from the speech people will be talking about for a long time.